Peculiarities of the Mental State of Individuals Experiencing Prolonged Stressful Situations

Abstract

Relevance. The study of the mental state of persons in a prolonged stressful situation is undoubtedly relevant for medical psychology, since such stressful situations, due to the accompaniment of pronounced emotional disorders, can lead to intrapersonal tension and a decrease in adaptive capabilities. At the same time, many patients turn to the help of doctors with somatic complaints and avoid the help of psychologists, which leads to prolonged independent experience of a stressful situation, intrapersonal tension and difficulties of recovery in the subsequent period. Therefore, timely identification of problem areas in the mental state of such persons is a priority for developing strategies for individual psychologically corrective programs.
Methodology. Thirty-four people in a prolonged stressful situation (23 women, 11 men, aged 18 to 44 years) presenting numerous complaints were studied. The participants’ mental state was assessed through clinical observation and a set of standardized psychodiagnostic tools aimed at evaluating memory, attention, and emotional-personality functioning. A questionnaire “Subjective Self-Assessment of Condition” was developed to obtain individual self-reports.
Results. The findings demonstrate that the mental state of individuals exposed to prolonged stress is characterized by mild impairments in cognitive and emotional domains, manifesting primarily as elevated anxiety and hostility, as well as difficulties in personality adaptation.
Practical significance. The results may be applied in the development of psychocorrection programs. Understanding the characteristics of the mental state of a person in a protracted stressful situation will allow monitoring the success of the measures taken and making timely adjustments to the process.